The present application relates to a method for using a communication system connected to a plurality of mobile devices and especially to a method for using the communication system in a motor vehicle (in-vehicle communication system). The present invention also relates to a communication system, especially an in-vehicle communication system, and to the use of such a communication system, especially inside a vehicle.
Vehicles include a number of subsystems that may be controlled by a user interface, such as an in-vehicle control system. Such in-vehicle control systems comprise more and more communication interfaces or communication modules such that mobile devices can be connected to the vehicle system. Examples of such mobile devices include media players, mobile phones, portable of handheld computers, personal digital assistants, smart phones, navigational devices off-board data storage devices or other handheld/mobile devices.
With an increased number of mobile devices connectable to the in-vehicle systems, especially the in-vehicle communication systems, it is more and more difficult to correctly control the use of such mobile devices and their connections to the in-vehicle communication system. One approach of selecting one mobile phone out of a plurality of devices is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,031,659.
The problem is that more and more the driver of the vehicle, i.e. the user of the mobile devices and of the off-board contents, is either not able or not allowed by law to control functions and/or applications used in the mobile devices and to use the off-board contents as this could lead to a reduced attentiveness of the user/driver to traffic conditions which is not desirable.
Therefore, the need exists of providing solutions allowing for a possibility to control and use the mobile devices connected to the in-vehicle communications system such that the safety level or the level of attentiveness of the driver is not excessively reduced while driving.